Large Mid-Century Modern Glazed Terracotta Planter with Saucer by Deanna Nichols

Impressive ceramic planter/vase with corresponding saucer by ceramicist, Deanna Nichols (b. 1942-2017, Missouri).
Holding a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute (1965) and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in California (1967), Nichols was educated in painting and complex pottery making techniques at an academic level and later served as an educator at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA, and The Chrysler Museum School in Norfolk, VA.
The second floor of the new student center at Kansas City Art Institute is named for Nichols (see image).
1970s studio piece (works made between 1971-79 were stamped “Nichols Ferenbach”) composed of a terracotta vessel glazed in a gentle palette of tan/ochre/beige. The borders of both saucer and planter appear to adorned with bulbous beads, but those formations are in fact formed by sculpting and removing the bordering clay to reveal the unglazed terracotta within. A quality piece displaying attractive colors and geometric/textural elements.
From the family of Deanna Nichols’ personal collection of her pieces.
“I fell under the spell of the wheel, loving the physical beauty of the moves required to form clay and the sense of peace that came from throwing. Function has always been the thing that made it work for me. That and the people who take the pieces into their lives and make it all relevant. Should this lump of clay become a vessel and Should it dry without crack, Fire without flaw and Serve without breaking, Then may it claim For its maker A tiny bit of immortality.” – Deanna Nichols, 2008
Planter and saucer together: H: 10″ x Diameter: 13″
Planter alone: H: 9.5″ x Diameter: 13″
Saucer alone: H: 2.25″ x Diameter: 10.75″
Reference Number: MDN42